Steven Naismith had equalised Juan Mata's first-half goal but Fernando Torres came up with a second-half winner to ensure it was Rafa Benitez not Moyes who would finish with a win.

Moyes was disappointed by that but had nothing but positive words for his players as he prepares to leave to take over at Manchester United, ending his 11-year stay with the Toffees.

"It was a really good game and we played well," Moyes told Sky Sports. "We certainly didn't deserve to lose today.

"We were excellent in the first half and then went behind with a bit of a mistake leading up to that but we deserved our goal back.

"In the second half we didn't start the game so well but we created a lot of chances and at the worst we should have had a draw out of it."

Tim Howard was responsible for the opening goal as he failed to cling onto a tame Demba Ba shot but Moyes preferred to focus on the positives of a sixth-place finish.

"We'd actually been the better team and they caught us a little bit on the break from a spill out by Tim that hasn't happened all season," he added. "So that gave them a pretty easy goal.

"But the players were magnificent today, they really were. This was a game today where we couldn't go up or down the table.

"We wanted to get a record points total if we could but I couldn't really fault the players for the way they went about their job. They didn't stop playing and kept trying to win the game.

"We have had a fabulous season. I think if you'd asked the bookies at the start of the season where they'd have thought Everton would finish they'd have said somewhere around here but there are a lot of good teams below us as well."

Readers' Comments

till I suppose it still gives him at least another year in the job. By the time it comes around , he can always make up another excuse. First it was 3 months , then a year .....Next year ? Whats his excuse with Van Persie ?